Least Flycatchers are one of the dreaded Empidonax flycatchers that in North Carolina are difficult to identify during fall migration as they typically are silent and look similar to 3-4 other species. However, they are easy to identify if they give their trademark chebeck call which they readily will do when on territory. In my first photo below, I have a Least Flycatcher in Nova Scotia which called incessantly and in the second picture, one at Valle Crucis in the NC mountains that likewise was calling on territory. However, some smart ornithologists have figured out a way to measure the primary projection in order to confirm ID. On the Least, the primary projection is usually less than half of the tertial measurements. This can easily be seen in my second picture.
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